Chapter 22: The Small Highs and Deep Lows
"I can't believe it," complained Miss Pan as she stormed through the crowd, her arms moving back and forth as she walked while her long, thick braided hair bounced. "We come all this way to I-Island and there is no transport for us? No funding for basic transportation? Not even someone to greet us?"
Hisashi, meanwhile, just sighed as he moved in a blur of motions to clean up the mess made by his partner as they moved through the crowds of people attending the Expo. Despite there being plenty of space for her to move about, Ms. Pan seemed determined to bump into and knock over as many people as possible while in her warpath. It didn't matter if it was a little kid, knocking the balloon they were holding out of their hand or the ice cream cone. Or just knocking over a young couple so that they fell on their ass. Heck, right now, he wouldn't be surprised if she pushed a man in a wheelchair into the ocean without batting an eye.
Thankfully, Hisashi was on top of it. When he saw the balloon rising above the kid's grasp he caught it with skills he had thought had become far too rusty before handing it back. Once he even managed to catch an ice cream cone before it touched the ground, handing it back to a very thankful little girl. Though he wasn't as lucky the second time so, instead, he handed the kid some of his own money from his wallet. The people who were knocked over were helped to their feet thanks to the scruffy man who would then offer a quick apology before moving on to the next.
"You've done this before," said Hisashi, doing his best not to sound annoyed by his troublesome junior. "The company expects us to pay for everything outside the plane tickets out of pocket and will later reimburse us after we fill out the proper paperwork. And after they review it."
"Which takes forever!" yelled Ms. Pan, nearly shoving an elderly man to the side as she walked past him. Thankfully, Hisashi was quick to prevent him from breaking a hip. "They are looking at the last three assignments I was on! I swear, it's like they are doing everything possible to prevent me from getting what I deserve!"
"That's kind of the point," said Hisashi, though he did his best not to whisper that she deserved a time-out. "You're still green, but the company doesn't like to lose any of its money. So they're going to drag their feet as they look for any reason not to pay us back. Last year, they actually refused to refund me my entire trip because I misspelled a word."
"Well that's you, not me!" growled Ms. Pan in frustration. "And besides, they told us how big of a client these people are. You would think that they would want to make sure that we were well taken care of!"
As Hisashi rolled his eyes, he spotted something that caused him to break out in a cold sweat. Or, rather, someone. This person stood there, hand raised over their eyes as they scanned the crowd as if they were in the middle of a search. What's worse, Miss Pan was walking right towards this person causing Hisashi to curse his luck. Of all the times to be here on I-Island, why did it have to be this time?
Thankfully, Hisashi had some small bit of luck left in him. The giant had its back towards them and, if Midoriya's hunch was correct, he was not the target. If he were, that person would have found him in an instant to give an encore of their last meeting. Meaning, there was a chance.
"How about we go a different way?" suggested Hisashi as he gently placed his hands on Ms. Pan's shoulders to begin leading her away.
"What?" demanded the younger woman as she looked at him over her shoulder in rage. "Why? This is the quickest way to get to the main labs!"
"Yes well," began Hisashi as he continued to push the woman, a lie so easily coming to his tongue that it should have been his quirk. "We should do an inspection of the entire island, just to make sure there are no issues. Then we head to the heart of the matter. That way we can tell the higher-ups that we made sure to dot every I and cross every T if anything went wrong." This earned the man a growl from Ms. Pan as she looked at him with murder in her eyes, no doubt not liking hearing he wanted them to do extra work. So he sighed before continuing. "Ok, how about this. You indulge me with this and when we get back I'll show you a trick on how to get your reimbursements faster."
"…Fine," replied Ms. Pan reluctantly, her angry glare softening only slightly. As she began to walk on her own, Hisashi let out a sigh while ignoring the many additional rude comments. Some were so bad that they caused passerbys to turn their head with disgusted expressions on their faces.
However, none of that mattered to the man as he politely waved at the people while mouthing 'bad day' to them. As long as he managed to avoid that confrontation then everything would be fine. He would continue to put up with Ms. Pan for the remainder of the trip, do his job, go to sleep crying about how lonely and miserable he was in hopes that something out there might take pity on him, go to sleep, and then leave the next morning.
After walking for a while, Ms. Pan stopped as two kids cut right in front of her. This time his partner paused, screaming at the kids to watch where they were going while the girl, one who had an interesting quirk which gave her grey skin and slime hair, apologized quickly with a Hispanic accent. Seeing them like that, brought a smile to Hisashi's face as he remembered better days. How Inko had found him on campus, pulling at his arm to join her for some after-school activity. He could still recall how panicked he was, thinking that she wanted to take him out drinking when in fact she just wanted to take him to some card game club. All she had wanted to do was to help him feel more comfortable and try to enjoy himself. Maybe even make a friend though her heart couldn't take going into a bar or anything like that.
Honestly, he never understood how she could have ever loved a bastard like him. Or why she hadn't filed for divorce given all the time they spent apart.
Just then, Hisashi noticed that someone was looking right at him. It was a woman whose hair was mostly white with seemingly random streaks of red in her hair. He noticed how her eyes focused in on him from behind her glasses while one hand reached to grip the sweatshirt she was wearing despite how hot it was on this island. As the man tilted his head to the side, he wondered what was going on. It looked like she recognized him and was trying to remember, but for the life of him he didn't know how that was possible. He really didn't visit this place all that often and she clearly wasn't one of his clients.
"Uncle Hisashi?" she then said, her eyes going wide as she did so. Stunned, Hisashi just stood there as the woman quickly rushed up to him with a big smile on her face. He knew this had to be a mistake. He was an only child due to his parent's death. Nor did he have any relatives that he could keep in contact with. The only ones who had ever called him that…were…
"Fuyumi?" he asked with a laugh as the woman nearly bounced right in front of him, a bright smile appearing on his face. The first real one he had in years which only grew more powerful when she hugged him. For a moment, he returned the embrace while ignoring the look Ms. Pan was giving them. Honestly, he didn't care what she did right now. When was the last time anyone had hugged him?
"Look at you," said Hisashi after a moment. There was laughter in his voice as they pulled away, getting a chance to fully look over the young woman before him with no small hint of pride. "It's been so long. You've grown so much."
"Yeah that, ah, kind of happens when you don't see a person in ten years," replied Fuyumi with, thankfully, no bitterness in her voice. Though her smile did drop a little.
"Sorry, sorry," was all Hisashi could say as he continued to look at her, finally taking in Fuyumi's appearance. When he had last seen her, she had been afraid that she was the ugly duckling of the family. That her weird hair and glasses made her look too weird. But, as Hisashi and Rei had told her, time would prove her wrong. Now she stood tall, ever the beauty that he knew she would be. Heck, if Izuku had been born a few years sooner, he would have been upset if the boy hadn't gone after her.
Thoughts of his son sobered his mood a little, causing the man to take a step back. "So, how have you been? Everything ok at home?" he asked, sympathy in his eyes. "I…I heard about your mom. I would have come over if I were still welcome."
"I know," said Fuyumi slowly, looking away as she did. Hisashi could make out a hint of resentment in her voice, though he could tell it was not directed at him. "After you…left, things got hard. For everyone. It really wasn't the best time." Fuyumi then shook her head, as if to push away those painful memories as she then looked at Hisashi. "Though, things are getting better. I'm in college right now studying to become a teacher. And Natsuo…" Her eyes then brightened. "Oh, you should see him. He was right behind me!"
Before Hisashi knew what was happening, Fuyumi turned to the crowd and began calling out for her brother. As soon as she did, a head seemed to just pop out of the crowd like it had been laying low in hiding. Only coming out when it sensed the jig was up or wanted to rush over to something. Hisashi laughed when he got his answer, spotting the now grown-up Natsuo lugging around several shopping bags with great annoyance. No doubt he had been trying to hide from his sister to avoid any additional work.
"Geez sis," he complained as he walked through the crowd. "I know I…promised…to…" Natsuo's words trailed off as Hisashi waved at the young man, taking in his appearance. Natsuo was wearing what appeared to be a light, icy blue jacket that was open to reveal a white shirt along with jeans. His hair was pure white, which slightly surprised Hisashi as he was sure he remembered Natruo having some red streaks on the sides of his head. Though, it was likely that he had dyed his hair as an act of rejection of his father.
"Uncle Hisashi?!" cried Natsuo as he finally came to realize that the man before him was real. Dropping everything, he went over to give the man a hug causing the two to laugh. Thankfully, Fuyumi was so happy that she didn't care that her brother had dropped everything. "I was so worried about you after what happened! First you leave and then Mom! We have so much to catch up on."
"We do," said Fuyumi, moving beside her brother to slightly elbow his side. "Like how someone has a girlfriend right now and it's getting pretty serious."
"Oh ho?" laughed Hisashi as he pulled away, laughing while he patted the young man on the shoulder. "How serious are we talking about?" At that, Natsuo's face flushed as he looked away with clear embarrassment on his face.
"Pretty close," replied Fuyumi in a sing-song tone, clearly enjoying this light ribbing. "They're actually thinking about moving in together pretty soon." Hearing that, Hisashi let out a loud laugh as he playfully slapped Natsuo's shoulder making the younger man wince. But now of that seemed to be able to wipe the smiles off their faces. Especially Hisashi who was proud of the boy he had seen grow up entering the next big stage of his life.
"Well, if you need any help, just let me know. I might not be in the real estate business, but I do know a trick or two that might help you out," said Hisashi before a thought crossed his mind. Briefly, he looked back at the crowd as he began to scan it looking for one of the people he really didn't want to see. "Hey, ah, while I'm glad to see you both I can't help but wonder why you both are here. I mean, last I remember, this really wasn't your thing. And is Shoto here?"
As Hisashi asked that last part in a whisper, the good mood everyone had been in seemed to vanish instantly. He then watched as the siblings exchanged a brief look with each other, seeming to have a silent conversation with each other. When it ended, it was clear that Natsuo had silently told Fuyumi that she would be the one spilling whatever news there was while the white-haired man gained a sullen look.
"We're here with our father. Just us," said Fuyumi slowly before taking a deep breath. "Dad has been, er, upset with Shoto ever since he lost in the Sports Festival."
"And that's putting it mildly," snorted Natsuo, ignoring the pointed look at Fuyumi gave him. "Ever since then, whenever they're in the same room that crappy old man has been on Shoto's case. Upset that he lost to a 'nobody' like that, trying to say if he had just used his fire then Shoto would have saved his points. Though, Shoto is not doing himself any favors when he just says the same old same old. Ever since Mom was taken away, Shoto has refused to use his flames. Pisses that piece of crap off, but now he's like a broken record. But if that wasn't bad enough, things just got worse when the old man found out that no one accepted his offers to intern under him."
"Yes, well, there was all that," agreed Fuyumi. "But it was what happened after that that sent Dad off the deep end. Shoto was in some big class exercise worth a big chunk of his grade…and got a zero. Dad somehow got all the details before Shoto got home. Honestly, I think he was beyond angry because he was just so…quiet. Just had this emptiness to his voice as he spoke, asking Shoto what he learned. Of course, Shoto just told him that if it was about using his flames then no. That all he needed was 'mom's ice' and that he needed to make it stronger."
Hisashi felt a tingle of fear running through him as he listened. Enji was many things. One of those things was anger and was not afraid to show it. Often, he would use his flames to help emphasize the depths of his rage while he yelled and screamed at you. Hisashi knew that all too well as he had been on the receiving end of that anger more times than he could count. Especially that last time which had been the worst of them all as he didn't think Endeavor could get that angry. So to hear that there was a level of anger that would make the man quiet was truly alarming. Though, despite that, he had a feeling he knew what caused the man to go so vacant with his anger. Hisashi was aware of why Enji had married Rei, and why he had so many children. It was all to create a child like Shoto, the perfect union of quirks that would allow a member of his family to one day become the number one hero someday in the future and unseating All Might. No doubt he was seeing his grand plan crumbling before him as it sounded like Shoto's refusal to go all out with his quirk was causing him to fail in school.
Though, there was another bit of the story that drew Hisashi's attention: when Natsuo said that no one accepted his offers for an internship. From what Midoriya could recall, Enji was not one to so openly hand out such offers. Never more than two at a time. And, when he did, they were usually accepted in a heartbeat. So, it was clear that Shoto had refused to take up his offer. But who was the second person?
"Damn," was all Hisashi could say. "So, what was the fallout?"
"Well, it could have been worse," replied Fuyumi with a sigh heavy. "Dad tried to explain that Shoto was ruining his future with his childish behavior and not taking things seriously. Then, well, he said that if Shoto was going to act like a child then he deserves to be treated like a child. He was supposed to be the only one attending the Expo as a representative of the Endeavor Agency, but instead, dad told him he was not mature enough for the job. So he's back home with Dad actually hiring him a babysitter to keep an eye on him." At that, Hisashi let out a whistle. Something that brought a smile to the two before him as that had been their reaction as well. Though, they had kept it mental.
"So," continued Fuyumi after a moment. "Since Shoto wasn't coming as a representative, Dad had to come himself. And for some reason, he pretty much insisted we come. Probably to make sure we didn't help Shoto skirt any of the rules that Dad told the babysitter. Like no cold soba."
"Though, he is one to talk about being childish," added Natsuo, a wicked grin appearing on his face. "You should have seen him on the plane ride here. Asshole just sat there, staring out the window looking while pouting the entire time." Then, the young man gave Midoriya a more honest smile. "But, looks like this trip wasn't a total nightmare. It's really great to see you again Uncle Hisashi. Maybe if you're free later on and we manage to escape that bastard again, how about we hang out for a bit to catch up?"
At that, Fuyumi's eyes lit up. "Yes, that would be a wonderful idea!" she exclaimed.
"Of course," said Hisashi, his words coming out before he knew what he was saying. "Wouldn't miss it for the-"
"Dad?" That single word caused Hisashi's world to come crumbling down in an instant. With a cold sweat appearing all over his body, he turned around to see the one person he knew was on this island and hoped not to run into.
At first, Hisashi saw his son the way he had the last time he had laid eyes on the boy in person. A small child of six, staring up at him while wearing his All Might pajamas with pleading eyes begging not to go to sleep. A look that still tore through Hisashi's heart. He blinked and the image of his son changed to one of the last pictures he had of Izuku. Or, one of the last ones that Inko had sent him that he had looked at. It had been when Izuku was starting his final year in Middle School, wearing his black uniform that just barely hid that he was built like a stick. His head was lowered slightly, showing he was clearly embarrassed to be doing this for a man who wasn't even in his life. Then Hisashi saw the man his son was today. He was wearing his hero costume which looked pretty basic. But it showed how much his boy had improved strength-wise as he stood there, head held high.
As the two stood there in an awkward silence, Hisashi noticed someone else approach them. Coming up from behind his son was a girl with orange hair that was tied to its side in a ponytail. She looked familiar, though if he had to guess she was the girl that Inko had told him about. The girl from the dojo that his son trained at and had become a good friend to their son. Possibly even having a crush on him if his wife was to be believed. Though she also thought that Izuku was suddenly getting a harem so maybe she was just seeing things that weren't there.
"How long has he been there," whispered Hisashi under his breath as he swiftly glanced around. He could see that both Fuyumi and Natsuo looked very confused. No doubt they hadn't paid any attention to their surrounding since they started talking. Sadly, there was one other person there.
"Since you started hugging your mistress or whore," commented Ms. Pan dryly, her oh-so-pleasant comment causing the Todoroki siblings to jump. No doubt they had been so glad to see Hisashi that they had forgotten the world around them. Meanwhile, Hisashi just cursed wishing that Ms. Pan could have said something sooner…before instantly changing his mind. In fact, he wanted the woman to speak less.
In the end, he turned his full attention towards his son.
"Hey there kiddo," laughed Hisashi, waving his hand in what he knew was an awkward manner. He also knew that even his chuckles sounded forced and unnatural, but he had to break the tension before getting as far away from his son as possible. It was for his own good! "Fancy running into you like this."
"…It's the I-Island Expo," said Izuku, looking like he was struggling to register that they were meeting like this. "I told you I would be here, remember?"
"Y-Yeah, you did," replied Hisashi, slowly taking a step back. "Well, funny thing really is that I got the dates all mixed up in my head. Completely forgot that I was being sent here for work and-"
"You said you were looking at the calendar when we talked," interrupted Izuku while the orange-haired girl's eyes narrowed at him. "Then you said you made a mistake and then hung up."
"Oh," said Hisahsi nervously, scratching the back of his head as he looked away. "D-Did I?" Dearing to peek back towards his son, Hisashi noticed that while the orange-haired girl's expression was hardening his son was no longer looking at him. Instead, his gaze was trailing over to Fuyumi to Natsuo, and then finally to Ms. Pan.
"Then why are you here?" asked Izuku, his eyes now appearing far off while his voice was shaky. Hisashi, thankfully, was at least ready for this. While he had hoped that he wouldn't see his son on this trip and that this sudden meeting had caught him off guard, he had a wonderful plan: lie to the kid. Just tell him it was a last-minute thing, something his bosses did. Should he continue by saying he had planned on making it a surprise or would that be too much?
However fate, or rather Ms. Pan, had other plans.
"You're here because you begged the bosses to give you another job," she said, sounding rather annoyed. "Forcing yourself onto my assignment because you wanted to get as far away from the office as possible. Maybe if you kept better track of your love children you would have remembered."
The color drained from Hisashi's face as he heard this, time seeming to come to a crawl. Like this, he could see every emotion as it appeared on his son's face. Surprise. Hopeful. Confusion. Anger. And finally, sadness.
Then, without another word, Izuku made a quick and silent retreat while keeping his face lowered.
"Wait," said Fuyumi as the orange-haired girl ran after Hisashi's son. "Was that Izuku?" Her words suddenly jolted Hisahsi out of his shock but not out of the horror of the situation he now found himself in. Swearing under his breath, he began to race after his son. He had to stop him, sit him down, and try to fix this mess. At least a little.
However, once more fate decided to punish him for the brief amount of happiness he had felt. This time it wasn't something that Ms. Pan said. Rather, it was a large, meaty hand that slammed itself on his shoulder. A hot hand that froze Hisashi in place, his heart nearly stopping as he knew who that hand belonged to without having to look at it.
While new sweat began to appear on the man's brow and eyes wide in horror, Hisashi was suddenly spun around. When the man stopped, he gulped in fear at what he beheld. Standing before him with a frown on his face, was Enji Todoroki. The man looked down at him, his face neutral but his eyes somehow told him that the man was examining him. Like he was trying to figure out what to do with him. In the past, that meant two things: yelling or yelling while trying to burn the man alive.
"So I was right," said Enji after a moment, his grip squeezing on Hisashi's shoulder a little tighter as he did. No doubt double-checking to make sure this wasn't an illusion. "It was you."
"Listen, Todoroki," began Hisashi, but the sudden burst of heat from Enji's flaming mustache silenced him.
"We are going to continue the conversation we had all those years ago," breathed Endeavor, face hardening as he spoke. "But not now. After the banquet tonight meet me at the main entrance of the Gremory Plaza. There we will speak." And with that, Endeavor ushered his two adult children away leaving behind a very scared and defeated Hisashi Midoriya.
-x-
Izuku Midoriya rushed through the crowds of the I-Island Expo, doing his best to hold back the tears. These weren't the massive streams that he would normally cry when he felt a strong emotion. These stung so much more. Hurt with so much power. But, the barrier he put in place to keep his tears at bay was failing when he thought back to what he saw.
His father.
His father, a man he hadn't seen since he was a little kid, standing right in front of him despite saying he couldn't make it. At first, he would have been willing to believe anything to make that make sense. That his father's work brought him here but decided not to tell him so it would be a surprise and that he wouldn't waste a ticket on him. But what he saw next shattered any comfortable lie he could have told himself. His father was there, hugging a strange girl he had never seen before someone else approached him. All of them looking like they were happy to be together, especially his father who looked so overjoyed.
And when the man finally noticed him, all that joy vanished. Instead he looked horrified to see his own son. Like he was something the man wanted to keep hidden away, that him being there had ruined a carefully planned secret.
Honestly, it made him glad he had been so shocked to see his father that he had tuned out all sounds and couldn't hear what they were saying.
It wasn't until something cold and metallic slammed into the teen's chest that he finally came to a halt. Though not hard enough to knock him down. Quickly wiping away the stinging tears, Izuku looked around to see that he was no longer in the plaza. Or anywhere near there. Instead, he had run far, now overlooking the ocean before him. What had stopped him was a metal railing, blocking him from running off the edge and falling into the cold water below as there was no beach on this part of the island. Just a metal wall keeping the man-made island in place.
Shaking and doing his best to rein in his emotions, Izuku began to look around to get a better idea of where he was. There were a few shops, but when you compared them to the rest of the island's vibrancy they seemed almost out of time. While not dirty or unkempt, these stores seemed to have a more rustic quality with their wooden signs hanging over the doors and plain glass windows.
Moving closer to one of the shops, Izuku peered inside to find it was a shop that sold clocks. Not the digital variety or anything that could be hung from a wall, but rather these were the large grandfather clocks. Each one looked like they were hand-carved and painted. The teen also noticed an old man working in the corner, busy at work putting in the gears to one of his latest works. Though why he was doing so here, on this island, Izuku had no idea as it seemed unlikely that anyone here would want something so outdated.
"Ah, Young Midoriya," came a sudden voice from behind Izuku, causing him to jump. Though, as soon as his feet landed back on the ground, Izuku whipped around as he recognized the voice. Heck, anyone would as it belonged to Japan's number-one hero! And, low and behold, he was right. All Might himself was standing there, fists on his hips while wearing his hero costume. Seeing this symbol right before him caused the teen's heart to feel more at ease as it was only natural to experience such a thing when in front of the man.
"All Might, what are you doing here?" asked Izuku quickly. He knew All Might would be here, on the island, as Melissa had told him as much. But what was All Might doing right here?
"Well, I was looking for you Young Hero," declared the pro with a bright smile which then fell slightly. "I asked a friend to use the island's security to find you and, when we did, I raced over. Young man are-" All Might then cut himself off, his head quickly turning to the side as if to look at something over his shoulder. Curious, Izuku looked as well though he found nothing. Just an old bookshop. When he looked back up at his hero, Izuku noticed the man waving away at some smoke on his shoulder. No doubt caused by how fast he was traveling to get here or something.
"Forgive me," he said, though it sounded more like he was saying that more to himself than to Izuku. Before the green-haired hero-in-training could question him, All Might continued. "Young Man, it seems like a well-intentioned blunder on my part has caused some issues. And I was hoping you would assist me in correcting them."
Upon hearing that, Izuku's eyes widened as he pushed all of his personal troubles to the side. All Might, THE All Might, was asking for his help? And not for a class project or something like that? The teen's smile appeared, widening like never before.
"Of course, All Might," said Izuku, new and excited tears in his eyes while clenching his fists. "I'll do anything to help. Just tell me what to do."
"I need you to denounce what you said at the Sports Festival," replied All Might.
"Of course All what?" began Izuku before the reality of what the pro hero was asking sunk in causing his reply to stumble. His smile vanished, looking on at his favorite hero in confusion. What he had said at the Sports Festival? But that…weren't those the words he had used to inspire Melissa? The words he had always wanted someone to tell him? All Might…He couldn't…
"This is all my fault," said All Might, no doubt seeing the confusion on Izuku's face as he moved to look into the store that Izuku had just been looking through. He then let out a sigh. "At the time, I thought it to be a wonderful idea to allow the winner to have some final words. Honestly, I believed you would use that opportunity to thank the various people who had supported you. Like thanking your parents and teachers for all they had done to help get you to that point. Or say something more, er, inspirational than what Young Bakugo gave. Well, what you said was inspirational. And…" All Might trailed off for a moment, leaving Izuku to tremble in disbelief at what he was hearing. But soon All Might seemed to have settled on what he wanted to say next. "I could tell, Young Hero, that what you said came from the heart. That it was rooted in a conviction."
"…It's something Mr. Kendo told me," said Izuku. "That we are all born with all the tools we need to succeed. We just need to figure it out. It's what's helped get me to this point."
For another moment, All Might was silent. "It's not wrong to believe in something, however, reality is a different matter," he said at last, still not looking at Izuku. "If I had known the effects of your words then I never would have put you on the spot. I would have simply raised your hand, allowing the crowd to cheer for your well-earned victory. However, I must sour your trip with this request as it involves Young Melissa Shield. She…She has gotten it into her head that she still has a chance at becoming a hero."
"B-But she does," said Izuku instantly, coming to the girl's defense. "All Might, didn't you see the suit she made? It was amazing! She could save so many people with it." It was only then that All Might glanced over at Izuku, a brief smile appearing on his face.
"I mean so offense, Young Midoriya, but I'm sure that it did look impressive to your inexperienced eyes," he said gently before turning back to watch the man working on the old grandfather clock. "And, while I haven't seen it myself, perhaps you are right that it could help save many lives if placed in capable hands. However, those hands do not belong to people like Melissa Shield. She has her own role to play in our society. One that does not involve pretending to be a hero. To be a hero, one needs power. I'm sure that suit will grant her some power, or at least the illusion of power, but once it breaks then she will be helpless."
"I lost my quirk during that final match and I wasn't helpless," stated Izuku, feeling a new emotion bubbling up as All Might spoke. Anger. Red hot and righteous anger towards the man who was his inspiration to become a hero. Was he looking down at Melissa just because she was quirkless? Was he doing the same thing that Bakugo and so many others he had known in his life did, just not as loudly?
"Yes, you did," conceded All Might. "But, could the same be said about Melissa if her gear broke? If it malfunctioned during a critical moment while she was fighting a villain or trying to save someone?"
"She could if someone taught her!" said Izuku, refusing to back down. "She's not useless!"
"I never said she was," replied All Might in complete agreement. He then gestured to the man still working on his clock, so engrossed in what he was doing that he hadn't noticed either All Might or the young hero standing in front of his window. "Young Midoriya, everyone has a place in our society where they fit together to create something grand. Gears, bolts, and other such parts. It doesn't matter how small or grand, but they all come together to make things move. Young Melissa has her place, it's just not in heroics. She lacks the power to be a hero, but she has the brains to make gear for heroes and support them. In that way, she is a hero to the heroes. Just not one who gets the fame. Support is where her gift lies." Izuku opened his mouth to argue. To say that the gear she makes could be used by herself. Someone who knows their ins and outs, more suited to repair them in the field should something go wrong. But All Might continued, cutting him off. "Tell me, Young Hero. How many more lives could Melissa save if she continued as she was before she heard your words? If she focused on making gear for well-trained heroes rather than spending her time trying to match the physical levels you are at right now?"
Izuku was about to say something, but All Might's words hit him hard. Saving people was the most important part of being a hero. Melissa had made something wonderful to help her save people, but All Might had a point. Melissa could make gear that could save people and then mass-produce it. And he had seen just how good it was. Just imagine if she could be if she continued to work on her craft for the next couple of years. But, it was her dream to be a hero. Wasn't that also important?
As Izuku's thoughts and feelings spiraled in a storm of confusion, All Might moved away from the window.
"I'm truly sorry to ask this of you Young Midoriya, but to save her future you must destroy her childhood dream," said the tall man. "She might be quirkless, but as I said, she can still be her own type of hero. Just like any other quirkless person out there. And, if they lack the skill to do what she can do, they can always become a police officer or a firefighter. They might get slack for not doing as much as the heroes, but those are fine professions." And with that, All Might left.
Once the hero left, Izuku never noticing more smoke appearing on the man's body as he did, the teen nearly stumbled to the ground as he felt his legs give way. No, it felt more like his very world had been pulled under his feet as the storm of conflicted emotions raged inside of him. All Might, the hero he had always admired, had just told him the thing he feared the man would say if they had met before the teen discovered Divine Dividing. That he couldn't be a hero without a quirk. That he would have had to settle with something lesser if he wanted to help people. He wasn't even giving Melissa a chance!
But, what floored him was that while his words hurt they didn't hurt as much as he thought they would. All Might, who had been the center or his world for so long, was no longer the sole foundation that held it up. He had Mr. Kendo, the man who had told him he would be willing to give him a chance for his own sake. He had Vlad King, his homeroom teacher who knew what it was like to be mocked. He had Itsuka who helped make him strong. He had Pony and Toga. There was Melisa too, the first person who ever called him a hero. All these people believed in him, pushing back on the words that All Might said.
Then conflict came to him. None of them knew the truth about him. That he was actually quirkless. That Divine Dividing wasn't a quirk by a sacred gear. No wait, the only one who knew was Toga. But the rest? How would they feel about that? Also, even if they accepted him now, would they have accepted him before he discovered this power?
Izuku then bitterly thought about what All Might said about the people Melissa could save if she remained where she was. He hated to admit it, but he could see where All Might was coming from. How much progress could make with new research if she was constantly rushing from crime scene to crime scene, dealing with natural disasters, and all other aspects of heroing? How many more people could she save if remained in her lab? In…her place as All Might put it.
The very thought that there was a part of him that agreed to that made the teen sick.
That man is a blind fool , spoke Albion. His words caused Izuku to pull himself out of his own thoughts, ready to defend his hero on instinct. But before he could, Izuku Midoriya heard a loud slap followed by a cry of pain.
"What did you do this time?!?" roared an angry male voice that seemed to echo around the street. "Your teachers talked to us about an incident at the Expo. Do you have any idea how humiliating that was? And put your God damned arms down!" Izuku only had time to take in a second breath before he heard another smack followed instantly by another cry of pain. "Oh, I'll give you something to cry about if you don't put those arms down!"
"You're supposed to be with your class showing what kind of 'hero' you are," came a new voice. A woman's voice. "But instead, where did we find you? In a bookstore? You can find those anywhere! Is this the example you should be setting for your siblings? You're the oldest so you better start acting like it!"
Fearing what was happening, Izuku began to look around for the source of the crying. He knew he was pushing his own problems and worries to the side, saving them for later. But someone else needed help. The only problem was that he didn't see anyone in the street. So where…
"Enjoy this trip while you can mister," came the man's snappish tone. "Because if you cause another scene or embarrass us again we will be pulling you out of that hero school and sending you to a military academy! Maybe they can whip your sorry ass into shape!"
A moment later, Izuku watched as a man stormed out of a nearby alley. He was a short man, no larger than his mother with a large gut and balding head. His face was red, no doubt from anger as he began cursing under his breath. Behind him was a tall stick of a woman with tightly bound hair whose face was also red.
Izuku would have gone after them, but a soft whimper stopped him. Turning to look down the alley, he found the familiar sight of Bleak. The teen had his back against the wall, body trembling as he slid down the wall and onto his ass with the tattered book in his hands. Nearby, Izuku saw a paper bag lying on its side with a dozen or so used books sprawled across the ground. All of them were used, looking like they had seen better days.
Slowly, Bleak turned his head towards Izuku as if sensing him. Now seeing his face fully for the first time, the U.A. student couldn't help but notice how similar it was to the boy who had harassed Pony. Almost eerily similar. But there were a few key differences. The first was that his hair was styled in a simple comb-over rather than the more time-consuming hairstyle the other teen had. Also, this teen had brown eyes. But, none of that seemed to matter much as Izuku could see the damage done to him. Bleak's lip was bleeding in several spots, his cheek was swollen, and his eye was puffy. Slowly, the white substance began to cover the injuries making Lady Sting's words take on a very dark implication. Did he wear that costume all the time because of the many injuries he had…or did he use it to simply cover his injuries?
"Who are you?" asked Bleak.